feeding now he is out???

[jodiew]

Hi guys i moved my horse last week to a D.I.Y yard, (have always been full or part livery) so it is all new to me, the thing is he still needs more weight on him, but he is out now 24/7 on really good grass, should i still be giving him hard feed? an hay every day or will the grass be good enough for him?

Sorry for soundign thick but i am just learning!

Jodie x

 

[TGM]

The best approach would be to use a weigh tape to measure his girth area and do this once a week to monitor his weight. If he is gaining weight at a good rate then don't give him any extra hard feed. If he doesn't gain or starts to lose then you will need to give him additional feed.

(I'm assuming in this case that the horse is only slightly underweight and not hugely malnourished).

 

[MagicMelon]

The grass and hay should probably be enough, just be careful with the grass as any horse can get laminitis (even thin ones!).

Personally, I wouldn't hard feed much for weight gain if he's just been moved onto this new grass etc. but I would give him something basic like a handful of chaff a day just so as to give him an all round vit & min supplement to make sure he's not lacking in anything. I wouldn't worry too much about him being a bit slim, its far healthier to be on the slim side than the fat side!

 

[Gentle_Warrior]

my lad lives out 24/7, he gets a winter feed but as soon as he moves to the summer field he gets nothing

 

[applestroodle]

My horse lives out 24/7 too, he is much happier and would recomend to anyone!

i event him at novice level so do have to feed him twice a day, he to is difficult to keep weight on! he has hay bale out all winter! but not needed in the summer as lots of grass!

i would recomend a weight tape to, cos they can drop up and down weight very easily and if u see everyday u wont notice!

 

[jodiew]

Thanks guys for the advice, i am still learning as i have only just moved to diy, so am worried i will do something wrong

He isnt a rescue case or anything like that he is just lacking weight on his bum.